Mad Catz GameSmart sets sights on mobile gaming

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San Diego-based Mad Catz has announced it will be getting into the smartphone peripheral game with the introduction of its new GameSmart platform at CES 2013 next week.

If the name Mad Catz sounds familiar, it's because it normally makes gaming peripherals for popular game consoles. Now it's looking for a way to make mobile gaming a similar experience, as the mobile gaming market heats up.

The smart phone peripherals, made up of game controllers, gaming mice, gaming keyboards, headsets, and more, will use Bluetooth functionality to connect with smartphones. Mad Catz has highlighted its newly created Bluetooth Smart stack, which it says will be a "new universal technology".

"The industry needs an agnostic operating system solution to provide standardisation, ease of implementation and scalability,” says Darren Richardson, CEO of Mad Catz.

To make for a seamless experience between the controller and device, Mad Catz will also offer a smartphone app to provide additional functionality. The GameSmart platform will provide developers and game-makers with easy tools to enable controller functionality in their mobile games.

Mad Catz has not yet detailed pricing or specific products, but says its peripherals will be available shortly after CES.

Pocket-lint will be hands-on in Las Vegas next week, where we'll take a closer look.